Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) Screening in Newborns

Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) is one of the major causes of death in neonates. These are not only the bereavement of their families, but also the social and economic loss of the nation. With our experience, we found that the delayed detection, diagnosis and treatment are the major causes. Thus, we studied and conducted multi-researches to develop the appropriated technology for early detection of the disease by monitoring the oxygen saturation in blood circulation of the first couple days after birth. This innovation is adopted as the national policy by Ministry of Public Health and National Health Security Office. Now Thailand can establish the Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening Network for neonate and create the referral system for treatment of this condition in all 13 national health regions across country. This service innovation plays the important role in the reduction of the neonatal mortality rate.